RACY COSMETICS
Some makeup
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HOOPING AND BOWLING SEASON AT JOHNSON C. SMITH
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The Voice of the Black Community
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Symposium tackles immigration issues
By Enca Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
A melting pot of Charlotte
activists will meet Saturday to
talk about immigration.
The Millions More Movement
of Charlotte in conjunction with
eight community groups is
holding a S3anposium titled
“Conversations Across Borders”
at Spencer Memorial United
Methodist Church at 1025
E.35th Street. The event is
scheduled from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
“We realized we needed to
have, or begin to have an edu
cation process for the communi
ty,” said Millions More
Movement board Chair C.
Maria Macon, which is organiz
ing the s5Tnposium.
“Conversations Across Borders
is our way of initiating this
In January, Mayor Pat
McCrory announced he was
setting up an Immigration
Study Commission. Though
Community Relations
Committee Executive Director
Willie Ratchford and N.C. Sen.
Malcolm Graham were asked to
join the commission, MiUions
More felt the commission
lacked a voice that represented
a cross section of the black com
munity. Activists wrote
McCrory, through the NAACP,
in April to urge him to add a
representative from the
African-American community.
In a letter dated May 17,
Please see SYMPOSIUM/2A
Equations
to draw
blacks to
math
By Lorinda M. Bullock
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBUSHERS ASSOCIAVON
WASHINGTON
Mathematicians are known
for figuring out the world’s
most difficult equations and
finding ways to apply them to
nearly every aspect of daily
life. Black mathematicians
find themselves not only
working in their chosen field
of study, but also working to
solve one of their most com
plex equations yet—why so
few of them exist.
Of the nearly 15, 000 math
professors in the United
States, there are only about
300 who are Black and about
500 who are Hispanic. Out of
the 433 Math Ph.D.s award
ed last year to U.S. citizens,
14 were awarded to Black
Americans, said the
American Mathematical
Society.
Duane Cooper, a math pro
fessor at Morehouse College,
said a general perception of
math being “too difficult” con
tributes to the low numbers.
“I think when students say
math doesn’t make sense; it
just kind of hurts me because
nothing makes more sense
than mathematics,” Cooper
said. “Everything fits togeth
er beautifully and logically
and so in some sense if it
doesn’t make sense, some
where we have failed to help
you see why it makes sense.”
So rather than keep their
elite club of professors, statis
ticians, and analysts exclu
sive, Black mathematicians
like Cooper are striving to
widen their circle.
In just the last two weeks,
two major events have taken
place to encourage greater
Black and minority participa
tion in all levels of math—the
Please see EQUATION/6A
Transition stirs
Harding High
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Harding University High School students and parents rallied at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School
Board meeting Tuesday. They want stability in administration and empty teacher positions filled.
Parents, students demand top teachers, leaders
By He±)ert L. White
herb-wh/fe@f0echario tfeposf.com
Dana Harris struggles with
her statistics class at Harding
University High School.
Not that she can’t do the work.
No one’s been in class long
enough to teach it.
Three teachers have been
assigned to Harris’ Advanced
Placement class in as many
months. She said that uncer
tainty will affect her grades.
“The first two weeks of school,
we didn’t do anything,” she says.
‘^We didn’t see any books. We’re
stiU on chapter 1 and we’re going
into the second quarter. We feel
like we’re at a disadvantage
because this is an AP course and
this affects our grades.”
Harris voiced her concern
Tuesday before the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg School board. She
was joined by classmates and
Harding parents who demanded
more qualified teachers and
administrators at the math and
science magnet school.
Charlene Price-Patterson,
whose daughter Charise is a
senior, said CMS’s slow response
to placing teachers in Harding
classrooms places an unfair bur
den on students.
“Here we are 11 weeks into the
school year and we’re just get
ting teachers,” she says. “It’s
inexcusable.”
Harding’s college preparatory
curriculiun has been a model of
academic achievement while
other inner city campuses have
struggled. Newsweek magazine
ranked the school No. 66 among
the nation’s most challenging
high schools. In 2005, Harding
Please see HARDING/7A
Historic designation may keep Coffee Cup pereolating
By Cheris F. Hodges
cfiens.hoc(ges@ffiechortofteposf.com
It looks as though the Coffee
Cup hasn’t fried its last chicken or
served its last batch of coUard
greens.
On Monday, the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Historic
Landmarks commission voted to
recommend a historic designation
that would save the restamant
fix)m demolition.
This was welcome hews to the
limch time diners at the West
Morehead Street restaurant.
For nearly 60 years, the Coffee
Cup has been a staple in the com-
mimity, famous for its down home
cooking and soul food. It was also
one of the first places in Charlotte
to desegregate. The original white
owners promoted a black cook to
business partner in the 1950s
before civil rights reform.
“There’s no way they can tear
this down,” said customer Karen
Dawkins. “I came to Charlotte to
visit my daughter and she said
let me take you to the Coffee
Cup.”’
Dawkins, who is from
Spartanburg, S.C., said the food is
delicious and she couldn’t get over
United
Way aims
teriate
raiiy
Nonprofit agency may
fall short of funding goal
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hodges@fhechariotfeposf.com
The United Way of Central Carolinas could
miss its fund raising goal if it doesn’t come
up with $800,000 by today.
The organization annoimced this week
that they had only reached 83 percent of
their goal of $44,075,000.
‘We’re short. For many years we’ve met
goal and for many years it’s been taken for
granted that we’ll meet goal,” said Edw^d
“Ned” Curran, United Way Board chair.
The United Way, which is celebrating its
75th anniversary, supports 97 agencies in
the Charlotte metro area, including the
United Negro College Fund, Urban Lee^e
of Central Carolinas, Crisis Assistance
Ministries, MedAssist of Mecklenburg and
Metrolina AIDS Project.
According to Michael Baker, the regional
campaign chairman, one in three people in
the community use a United Way service.
“This is very important for the health and
welfare of this community,” said Baker.
This year’s goal was ambitious, Curran
said, but added that Charlotte is a “can do”
community and though the United Way
wanted to raise more money, the agency felt
it could be done.
‘We set a more ambitious goal because this
community has grown,” Curran said, adding
that there is likely to be more than 5,000
homeless people on the street this year. And
the needs grow as the temperature drops.
This isn’t the first time the United Way has
faced a potential shortfall. Last year with a
Please see UNITED/2A
the number of people frequenting
the restaurant.
Gardine Wilson, co-owners of
the Coffee Cup, said Monday’s
vote left him and partner
Anthony McCarver excited.
“This is a nice plateau to look
over after a long journey,” Wilson
said, adding there are “hiUs and
valleys that we have to get to
Please see COFFEE/3A
thebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Bradley
inspired blaek
journalists
By Demetrius Patterson
THE CHICAGO DEFENDER
CHICAGO - For most of his nearly
26 years with the television news sta
ble, 60 Minutes, Ed Bradley was the
lone African-American face for the
award-winning program.
Known for his relaxed presence and
laid back style - with one earring in
his left ear - Bradley interviewed a
who’s who in the world of politics,
crime, entertainment
and the common man.
His voice was silenced
a week ago Thursday
after a long bout with
leukemia. He was 65.
The death of Bradley
stunned many African-
Americans in the jour- Bradley
nalism field, along with
influential people who met him or
were subjects of his interviews.
Please see BRADLEY/3A
Black Ford dealers want
automaker to reconsider
closing some franchises/6C
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